History

History

Founded in 1907 by J.W. Beatson, the Economic Club of New York was modeled after the Economic Clubs in the Boston area. With the mission of facilitating thoughtful discussion and debates on the issues of the day, over the past 100 years, the Club has acted as the prominent forum for the pivotal debates of the age.

During the 1910s, the club hosted speakers regarding the hotly debated topic of a U.S. income tax and the movement for women’s suffrage. The 1920s were a time of discussion on post WWI Europe, free speech, and the role of business as a source of good in the community. During the 1930s, our speakers gave voice to the events in Europe and America’s role in what would become World War II. In the 1940s, the future of Europe’s economy and the continuation of America’s prosperity were debated. The economic impact of the Atomic Age of the 1950s, the societal changes and the space race of the 1960s, the energy crisis of the 1970s were all discussed from our dais.

The Club has also had the honor of hosting presidents of the United States, including: Woodrow Wilson, William H. Taft, Herbert Hoover, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan, and George H.W. Bush.